


This Beautiful Cruel World

by Queenzie



Category: DC Animated Universe (Timmverse), DCU (Comics), Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: 104th Training Corps - Freeform, Alternate Universe, Blood and Gore, Crossover, F/M, Female Titan Arc (Shingeki no Kyojin), Gen, Gotham City - Freeform, Scout Regiment, Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan References, Spoilers, Titan Shifting, Trainee Era (Shingeki no Kyojin), Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 14:27:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28708170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queenzie/pseuds/Queenzie
Summary: In a hellish world where humanity lives inside cities surrounded by enormous walls that protect them from gigantic man-eating humanoids referred to as Titans; Damian and Raven must adapt and survive. After the death of his mother and the destruction of his hometown, Damian vows to exterminate every last Titan by joining the Justice League, a military branch that devotes itself to direct Titan combat, Titan study, human expansion, and outside exploration.
Relationships: Eren Yeager/Mikasa Ackerman (used as reference), Raven/Damian Wayne
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here’s the eremika au no one asked for and I provided.
> 
> **This fic contains spoilers for the Attack on Titan anime so if you plan on watching it I wouldn't recommend reading. I am using the characters Eren Jaeger and Mikasa Ackerman as reference for Damian and Raven.

Raven's small and frail body trembled on the cold floor after the traffickers finished binding her wrists and ankles together with rope.

"I told you to only kill the dad, not the mom, you idiot! We could've made bank with the mother, she was _pure Azarathian_! That's a race that died out, you know!"

"Well the bitch came at me with scissors, what did you expect me to do? Besides, I doubt they'll even realize the kids not full-blooded."

Her violet eyes were hardly held open as she still processed the scene she had just witnessed.

_Her parents were expecting the doctor to come visit them for Raven's checkup. However, three men, specifically human traffickers, knocked on the door and brutally killed her father, Trigon, once he opened the door. When her mother, Arella, realized what was happening, she grabbed the scissors she was using and attempted to defend herself and her child, but the man used an ax to split open her head. Raven had no other option but to be snatched by them and brought to an abandoned cabin in the middle of the forest._

"We'll wait here until the boss comes back. It doesn't look like she'll be putting up much of a fight. Hell, worse comes to worst we'll just sell her to some deranged pervert."

Hot tears rolled down Raven's cheeks and onto the wooden floor beneath her. This had to be a nightmare. It wasn't happening. She didn't want to be auctioned off like cattle.

The sound of knocking at the front door startled both Raven and the traffickers. The two men briefly exchanged glances before one of them walked over to warily answer the door.

To Raven's surprise, she heard a young boy's voice. Using her limited strength, she gradually turned her body to where she could see what was happening.

"I'm... I'm lost," the boy informed him, a sad expression on his face. Tears were threatening to fall from his eyes. "I saw your cabin and thought maybe you could help me."

The man looked back at his partner before turning back around and flashing him a smile and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Lost in the woods, huh? What's a kid like you doing out there alone? You could get hurt in these woods. My buddy and I can help you-"

The man suddenly stopped mid-sentence, which confused Raven until she noticed the blood that began to drip from his torso and pool on the wooden floor.

"Thank you, sir, but I'm no fool-" the boy started before swatting the man's hand from his shoulder, using the knife he had to viscously cut through the man's flesh, "- _and I'm the last thing you'll ever see._ "

Before the man even dropped to the floor, the boy abruptly slammed the door closed.

**_"What the fuck?"_ **

Raven watched as the other man quickly approached his friend's bloody corpse.

"You little shit, you'll pay for this!" the man exclaimed as he grabbed the axe that was lying next to the door and roughly opened the door, nearly ripping it from its hinges.

The boy courageously dodged the man's swing and stabbed him in the gut, shredding the knife through his skin before pushing him to the ground and climbing on top of him.

"You deserve this, you pathetic sack of shit!" The boy exclaimed as he began to repeatedly stab the man's chest with his blood covered knife.

Raven's eyes were wide as she watched the scene in front of her. As the boy's stabs gradually came to a stop, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked in her direction, meeting her gaze.

The boy stood up from his spot and made his way over towards her, using the knife to cut the ropes that restrained her. "You must be Raven."

When Raven gave him a surprise look, he placed the knife down and continued. "I'm Damian. Doctor Wayne's son. When we came to check on your family, we saw... what happened. I noticed you were missing and started to search the forest."

"Oh," Raven quietly spoke as her ankles and wrists were freed. She rubbed the sore spots as she took in his appearance. Then it hit her.

"Damian," she started, giving him a worried look. "There were three men."

He raised an eyebrow before the third man made it through the kitchen door, taking in the scene with a disturbed expression. "What have you done..." he trailed off before charging towards the younger boy. "You little bastard!"

Damian swiftly extended his hand out to grab his knife, but the man had already beaten him to it as he kicked Damian roughly across the empty room.

Raven gasped as she watched the man use both hands to grab him by the throat and hold him in the air. Damian made choking noises as he tried to speak. "He..lp...!"

Raven's heart thumped wildly in her chest as she contemplated what to do. She'd never been in such a situation before. But, she couldn't just let him die.

Her small hands trembled as they grabbed the knife from the floor, her knuckles turning pale as she tightened her grip on the handle.

 _I can do it_ , she kept telling herself. But, her actions said otherwise. She was frozen in place.

The sight of Damian's hands falling limply to his sides caused her heart to sink to the bottom of her chest. _She had to do it,_ she realized.

Raven took a deep breath and finally mustered up the courage to charge at the man, using the knife to repeatedly stab into his back, causing him to cry out as he released Damian.

After he was dead, Damian and Raven remained in the cabin until his father returned.

* * *

"Damian... _what have you done?_ "

When Doctor Wayne arrived at the scene, he was utterly horrified at what he witnessed. His first instinct was to blame his son.

"I did what I had to do to save her!" Damian exclaimed, his eyes filled with anger, "Those sick bastards were going to sell her, or even worse! Did you want me to let her die?"

Doctor Wayne was quiet at his son's words. He hesitantly glanced over at Raven, who was clutching onto her bloody dress and shivering. He stood up and lifted his hands from Damian's shoulders before kneeling before the young girl.

"Raven," he gently greeted as she inspected her, making sure she had no wounds. All he found were minor bruises and cuts. "I'm so sorry about what happened. You can stay with us for a little while, okay?"

The young girl meekly nodded, tears threatening to fall at the edge of her lower eyelids every time she blinked. Doctor Wayne stood up and turned to lead the two children home.

"Here," Damian spoke up as he gently wrapped his scarf around her neck.

Raven looked up at him, a puzzled expression on her face at the sudden gesture. Her hand hesitantly reached up to feel the soft fabric.

"You looked cold," Damian informed and moved his hand to grab the end of the long sleeve of her dress. "Come on, let's go _home_."

Raven couldn't fight back the tears that slipped down her cheek at his words while she was tugged behind him _._

* * *

When Raven was brought to the Wayne's household, everyone was shocked.

"Bruce, you can't just take a child!" Talia, Damian's mother exclaimed.

"I've reported it to the Gotham Police already. She had nowhere else to go," Bruce defended as Raven hid behind him.

While the two spouses were arguing, Damian didn't hesitate to make Raven feel welcome around his home. He introduced her to his siblings, and showed her around their small house. By the end of the night, Talia and Bruce had both decided to let the young girl stay there.

As the days turned into weeks, Raven learned more about the family as she stayed there. Damian had four siblings, but he was the only one blood related. There was the oldest, Richard, then there was Jason, Timothy, and Cassandra. They each got along with her well and didn't exclude her.

He also introduced her to his best friend, Jonathan Kent. Raven learned that his parents were brutally executed for trying to escape and go outside the walls, so he lived with his older brother, Conner.

Nonetheless, Raven enjoyed staying there. It was peaceful, and it distracted her from the horrifying memories of her parents dying. She was content with her life. 

But, one day, everything changed.


	2. Chapter 2

"Damian!"

Damian's emerald-colored eyes shot open at the sound of his name. The screeching of crows could be heard as they fled from the tree he was lying under.

"Ugh," he groaned as he sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"You fell asleep," Raven commented and looked at him with a concerned expression.

"Your hair... why is it so long?" Damian questioned and stretched out his arms before grabbing the stack of firewood he collected previously.

Raven raised an eyebrow towards him. "It always has been," she responded before adding a small laugh.

Damian shook his head and rubbed his eyes again. "Sorry. I feel like I've been having a long dream."

"Let's go home," Raven said and grabbed her stack of wood before they headed back to the house.

The sound of bells ringing gained both of the children's attention as they made their way back into the gate of their district.

"Hey, it's the Justice League!" Damian pointed out and reached down to grab her hand. Raven tried her best to keep up as Damian dragged her down the paved brick road.

Everyone knew of the Justice League, the branch of the military that fought against the Titans. Most people mocked them, because they truly didn't have hope in humanity's future.

When they finally found a place to watch the League come into town, both of their faces fell.

As the horses trotted along the pavement, the citizens were silent. Only a few dozen soldiers made it back. Most had large gashes on their faces or were even missing limbs. The sight made Raven's stomach turn.

"I'm going to become a soldier one day."

Raven glanced at him with a worried expression. "Why would you want to be one of them?"

"Because, they get to go outside the walls. They're so brave," Damian responded.

Raven stiffened at his words.

* * *

"Damian says he wants to join the Justice League," Raven spoke up at the breakfast table. Her words caused the three boys to laugh hysterically.

"You snitch!" Damian yelled as he slammed his balled fists on the table, glaring at Raven.

Talia stood up from her seat. "That better be a joke," she said, glaring down at Damian from across the table. The other children immediately got quiet.

Damian looked down shamefully. "It's not," he confessed.

His mother's expression grew even more annoyed. "Are you stupid? You'll get yourself killed!"

"Not if I train hard enough!" Damian yelled back, immediately regretting it as his mother reached over and grabbed his ear. "I want to actually see the rest of the world, not stay in these damned walls all my life!"

"I don't want to hear anymore of this Justice League nonsense, do you understand me?" Talia said as she pulled on his ear, a stern look on her face.

"Yes, mother," Damian replied and rubbed his sore ear once it was released.

After his argument with his mother, Damian excused himself from breakfast and headed outside. Raven followed after him, worried that he would get himself into trouble.

Talia always asked her to watch him, and she did.

When Damian noticed her presence, he groaned. "Why did you have to tell everyone?"

Raven nervously cleared her throat as she caught up to him. "I... was worried about you," she admitted.

"Yeah, well now my entire family thinks I'm crazy," Damian said before sitting down on the ledge of the cement.

"I'm sorry," Raven apologized, her voice slightly cracking. She was on the verge of tears.

Damian let out a sigh. "They would've found out somehow anyways. Timothy always has something negative to say about me."

"Hey guys!" Jon called as he made his way around the block.

"What's that?"

Raven and Damian both gawked at the book that was wrapped in Jon's arms. Jon quickly raised his hand up to place a finger over his lips, gesturing for the other two to be quiet before pulling them both into an alley.

"It's a book about the outside world," Jon explained and showed the other two kids the cover of the book.

Damian's eyes lit up. "Isn't this illegal?" he whispered in question as Jon handed him the book to view.

Jon nodded. "This belonged to my parents. It says that outside these walls are large lands full of sand and even large bodies of water filled with salt. Bodies so large that they stretch over the horizon."

"No way," Damian said in astonishment and opened the book to skim through the pages. Jon was right, the book held images of the fabled outside world.

The sound of footsteps startled all three kids, causing Jon to grab the book and hide it in his jacket. They were quiet as policemen walked by the opening of the alley. Once they were gone, Damian spoke up.

"I'll see all of that when I join the Justice League and explore outside the walls."

Jon widened his eyes. "You're seriously considering joining them?"

Raven closed her eyes, her heart throbbing at the words.

"Yeah," Damian answered, his lips curling into a smile. "I want to get out of these walls and actually make a difference."

"Well, if you're joining, I will too," Jon decided.

"What? No, you don't have to-" Damian started, but was cut off by Raven.

"I will too," she calmly added.

Damian's eyes widened. " _No_! You two don't have to just because I am!"

"If you're going, I am too," Raven stated once again. 

Before either of them could speak, a large steak of lightning caught their attention. The entire world was silent before the ground began violently shaking under their feet.

The three of them shared worried expressions before running towards the source. Dozens of civilians stood there, watching the horrid sight in front of them.

An enormous Titan stood over the wall after kicking a hole into it, allowing other normal Titans to enter the hole it just created. The normal Titans began rampaging through the city, causing everyone to scream and run in terror as they began getting chased.

"No way... that wall is _fifty_ _meters_ tall! How could something break through it like that...?" Damian questioned in disbelief.

"Oh my God..." Jon spoke at the sight and started to step backwards. "I'm going to go to my brother!"

"My family..." Damian trailed off, looking over at Raven in horror. "They're in that direction."

The two of them ran off in the direction of Damian's house. When they got there, Damian could feel his heart drop in his chest at the scene.

The roof had collapsed on top of their house, leaving Talia between the rubble. His siblings stood outside, trying desperately to free her before a Titan came.

" **Mother!** " Damian called and immediately grabbed onto her hand, pulling on it.

" _Damian_..." Talia quietly spoke, her voice barely audible. The weight from the house was too much on her small body. "It's okay."

"No it's not, we have to get you out of here!" Damian angrily responded and tried pulling harder.

Bruce was on a business trip outside the outer wall. Dick and Jason were both trying to clear out the stone rubble from around her, but it was far too much for them to remove. Cassandra was trying to push the roof off from her, but it was also pointless. She was completely trapped. 

"Listen, it's no use," Talia said, "The roof has crushed my legs. Even if you get me out, I won't make it."

"I'll carry you!" Damian said, tears threatening to escape from his eyes.

The ground tumbled underneath their feet as a Titan came into view. Dick and Jason quickly stopped trying to move the stone and looked at Talia, worried expressions on their faces.

"Damian, listen to me," Talia said, her hand weakly grabbing onto the fabric of her son's shirt. "Go with your brothers. Take Raven. Get out of here."

"Not without you!" Damian said through gritted teeth, hot tears streaming down his cheeks.

Talia looked at Raven, a hopeful expression on her face. "Please, take care of him."

Raven's eyes widened at her words before nodding.

Damian thrashed his legs as Dick lifted him from the ground. "Put me down! We have to save her!"

"Thank you," Talia spoke when she watched Dick carry him in the opposite direction. Jason and Tim followed behind, both holding Raven and Cassandra's hands as they ran through the street.

"I love you!"

These were the last words Damian heard from his mother before he watched in horror as a Titan lifted her limp body from the rubble and devoured her.

Raven looked back, but quickly turned her head when she rallied what was happening. She was silent as she heard the sobs coming from Damian.

 _This is hell,_ she thought to herself.

On the sides of the streets were half-eaten corpses, bodies crushed by rocks, and even severed heads.

The kids didn't stop running until they got to the inner gate, where the policemen were taking in refugees to sail into the second inner wall. They were escorted onto the boat that was about to leave.

"Hey!" Jon's voice called as he saw his two friends. He approached them, but his smile quickly faded when he saw their distraught expressions.

Damian rose from his seat and grabbed the railing of the boat, gripping it angrily as tears flowed down his cheeks. Jon reached a hand out to place on his shoulder, but Damian quickly shoved it away.

Raven quickly ran up to his side, a worried expression on her face. "Damian-"

"I'll kill them all," he vowed.

Raven and Jon shared concerned glances before returning their attention to him.

" _Every last one_."


	3. Trainee Days - Part One

After hitting the age of twelve, two years after their hometown was destroyed, Damian and Raven enlisted in the trainee corps. Jon also joined, despite Damian begging him not to.

All of Damian's siblings had joined years ago, considering they were already old enough. They graduated at top of their class and were chosen to be on the special operations squad.

Their uniform was just like the rest of the military branches, except instead of an emblem depicting their regiment on their jackets, it had the trainee symbol on the arm patches and backside. Their pants were white and held up by a thick leather belt so that their omni-directional mobility gear could be attached. High combat boots were also a requirement.

Their chief instructor for training was Dinah Lance, one of the Justice League's best soldiers. In contrast with her light-hearted appearance, she was harsh on her cadets.

The first thing they started with was combat training. Which to Damian didn't make sense. _Why would they worry about fighting humans if the real threat was Titans?_

"Are you going to strike or what?"

Damian snapped back to reality as he watched his opponent raise her fists up in the air. The instructor had of course paired him up with a female who was caught slacking off. Her name was apparently Terra Markov.

"Don't go easy on me. I can take it."

"If you say so," Damian said before charging at her with the wooden knife he held in his hands.

To Damian's surprise, his strike was blocked and Terra flipped him upside down, pinning him to the ground ass-up.

"I win," she said before getting up, retrieving the wooden knife from his grasp.

Damian lay there, a stunned expression on his face. There was _no_ way that just happened.

The two of them continued to spar, and Damian grew more annoyed as the end result repeated. Terra was undoubtedly kicking his ass.

Damian made a grunting noise as Terra held him in a headlock while lying on top of his back. "You can take it easy, you know, we're just sparring..." he hoarsely spoke.

"I thought the point of this training was assuming you're coming at me with everything you've got?" Terra retorted and let out a small laugh. "Let's remember _I'm_ the weak little girl here, defending my frail little body from the big bad guy."

"Tt," Damian scoffed before trying to break free of her grasp.

"Maybe if you paid attention I could teach you a thing or two," Terra said and finally released him.

"I don't need your teaching," Damian said once he took a breath of fresh air. Before he could get up to brush the dirt from his pants, another cadet was tossed in their direction slamming into Damian knocking him into the ground.

Damian was stuck underneath the cadet who groaned on top of him. He looked up to see the burly dark-skinned teenager Victor, who stood a foot taller over the rest of the cadets. _Who was strong enough to throw him?_

"Hey, Terra."

Damian and Terra both turned their heads to look in the direction of an angry Raven.

Terra stood up to face the other girl as she approached them. Damian shoved Victor off him to get up. A tension filled the air and a crowd began to emerge.

"Your fighting technique is quite impressive. Why don't you teach me those moves?" Raven questioned.

As the two girls stood off to one another, a crowd of cadets began to form around them. Jon approached Damian carefully as they watched the scene. The only sound that could be heard now was the blowing of the wind.

"My techniques only work on normal people," Terra retorted. "Not some freak."

Damian winced at the words. Terra was right, Raven wasn't normal. That's why he had to save her from traffickers when they were children. Not only did most of her race die out, but her body held tremendous power. It made her more agile and stronger than the average soldier. Hell, she was stronger than any man enlisted in their squad. Damian never knew the cause of her ability, but he never questioned it.

Raven narrowed her eyes at the other girl and relaxed into a fighting stance.

"Are those two really fighting?" Jon questioned, looking down at Damian who had an equally surprised expression.

"Raven will win easily," another male cadet said towards him.

"No, she doesn't stand a chance. Terra will," another guy said.

While boys began to argue over which opponent would win, Damian watched the two girls as he sat in the dirt. Why was she doing this?

Before either girl could engage, their drill instructor spoke up from behind the crowd, causing everyone to scatter.

"Cadet Roth, you were assigned to train with Cadet Stone. Go back to your assigned partner or run laps until your body gives out. Your choice."

Raven reluctantly stood down at the instructor's words and, to everyone's surprise, decided to run laps.

Once everyone returned to their assignment, Terra approached Damian, holding out her hand to help him back up on his feet. She also helped up the other boy that was thrown towards them.

"What the hell was that about?" Terra asked.

Victor brushed off the dirt from his pants as he got to his feet. "I don't know," he admitted. "We were sparring partners, but something ticked her off. She then and somehow picked me up and threw me across the training ground."

"Huh," Terra said, "Guess I was having too much fun with her boyfriend."

"I'm _not_ her boyfriend," Damian retorted.

Terra gave a rare smirk before walking away.

* * *

When dinner finally came, Raven was able to discontinue her punishment and eagerly made her way to the dining hall.

"You know, if you took off that scarf for once, you might reduce the risk of having a heat stroke," Damian spoke when she sat down next to him and Jon at the table. Beads of sweat lined her forehead and her cheeks were pink.

"I'm okay," Raven replied before taking a long sip from her cup of water, disregarding his remark about the scarf. Ever since Damian wrapped it around her, she wouldn't part from it.

"Hey!" A girl called when she recognized Damian, "You three were in Gotham when the Colossal Titan breached the wall!"

Damian turned his head to look at the girl. "Yeah," he responded nonchalantly.

"Was it scary?" she questioned, her eyes wide with curiosity. A few other trainees turned their head to listen as well.

He pondered the question for a moment before speaking. "Titans aren't that big of a threat. When we master operating the omni-directional mobility gear, they'll be no match for the Justice League."

A boy scoffed from across the room. "Dude, are you crazy? You're joining the Justice League?"

Damian raised an eyebrow before setting his piece of bread down. "Yeah. Let me guess, you're joining the Police Force to stay safe in the walls."

"Actually, I am," the boy said before smirking. "I don't have a death wish. I bet deep down you're scared shitless of those things."

Damian stood up from his seat, the chair making a screeching noise as it slid across the wooden floor. "Excuse me?"

Raven reached a hand out to stop him. "Don't. You'll get in trouble."

"Hm," the other boy said before turning around in his seat.

" _Tt_ ," Damian scoffed before grabbing his empty tray and heading for the door. Raven got up to follow after him but stopped in her tracks when she heard someone call to her. The boy calling her was short and red-headed, and his skin was a light color. On his cheeks were a blanket of freckles.

"Hey," he spoke, his freckled cheeks a bright shade of red, "I'm Garfield. Also, I think your long black hair is gorgeous."

Raven tilted her head the slightest at the compliment. "Thanks," was all she said before turning around and walking outside.

Garfield's smile faded before he caused after her, but stopped on the porch when the sight of her walking with Damian caught his eye.

"You shouldn't get so worked up," Raven said as they walked side by side to the barracks.

Damian looked toward her. "If you want to be worried about anything, it should be your hair," he said as he lifted a hand up and raked his fingers through her sleek locks, "If you keep it this long, it'll get stuck in your omni-directional mobility gear."

Raven took a strand in her hand, eyeing it. "Alright, I'll cut it," she decided.  
  
The two of them parted ways at the men's and women's barracks, preparing themselves for their second day of training.


End file.
